Volume 16 , Issue 43

1905 Emigrants For the South

According to The Seattle Republican, dated Friday, 27 January 1905, page 3, there was this mention of "Emigrants for the South." Back then there was an effort on foot to direct immigration southward. The steady stream of immigrants which had bro years been pouring into the United States had located in the larger cities, adding greatly to the slum population.

The South, for the most part, encouraged the proposition with the amendment that the government must not cut loose a horde of undesirable aliens on their section. There came the rub: the wheat and the tares must be taken together, and ere the cotton howls had opened and displayed their shining fleecy contents three years after these immigrants arrived the South would find very much desired alien population a "white elephant" of which it could not live at such a low standard as could these aliens and so could not afford to work for the same low wages. In such cases it was quite evident what people would get both the work and the money.

Many reason that, if the standard of living was reduced and the native Americans had to complete with the aliens the Americans would check the increase of their families.

Towards this there would be two incentives: First, they would not wish their sons and daughters to compete with those who were content with such a low standard of living; second, being forced to accept the contains of things, as they would then be, they would become unable to rear their children up to the present American standard of living.

The female immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe and from Asia had proven to be very prolific and if the birth rate decreased in the native Americans, the end was obvious. The South need have a care lest in seeking to rid itself of the black man it does not jump "from the frying pan on to the stove."
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